Swearing at the Manager Who Tried to Stop Them
Police: "Arson Attempt Charges Not Applicable"
In a self-service gas station in Cheonan, Chungnam, a man engaged in the dangerous act of smoking while refueling his car. When the owner saw this and tried to stop him, the man threw a cigarette butt and cursed.
On the JTBC program "Incident Squad" aired on the 6th, footage was shown of a man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, smoking at a self-service gas station in Cheonan, Chungnam, on the 31st of last month.
According to the video, Mr. A suddenly put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with a lighter while refueling at the self-service gas station.
The owner, who was in the office, was startled when Mr. A lit the cigarette and said, "Why are you doing that? Put out the cigarette," and told him to go outside to smoke.
Mr. A then appeared to go elsewhere to smoke, but he cursed at the owner, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and continued refueling.
Afterward, the owner returned to the office, but Mr. A followed him inside and cursed at him again.
Eventually, the owner inquired with the police whether such behavior could be charged as attempted arson, but was told, "Since there was no fire, it cannot be punished." He also checked with the fire department and health center, but was informed that legally, actions like Mr. A's cannot be restrained.
According to current law, there is no smoking ban regulation specifically for gas stations. However, if the local government ordinance where the gas station is located designates gas stations and gas filling stations as non-smoking areas, a fine of up to 100,000 won can be imposed.
Nevertheless, smoking at a gas station can lead to a major accident due to explosion, prompting calls for stronger sanctions.
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